# The city inspector paid us a visit today **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 16, 2008, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-city-inspector-paid-us-a-visit-today/433719 "2008-01-16T06:38:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-city-inspector-paid-us-a-visit-today/433719/1 "2008-01-16T06:38:19Z")
We’re in the middle of the desert. Remember that. We have a carport. We recently removed the 25 year old leaky tin roof and started to replace it with a pressboard and tar roof. Today, the city inspector came by and told us to stop work on the carport immediately. When I asked his reasoning, he told us that we did not present the city with environmental reports, blueprints and an engineering study of the new roof, _ **including snow load calculations** _. WTF? Snow load? In the fuckin’ _desert_? Snow load? We’re in the same desert as Las Vegas! We get snow here about once every seven years, and then it’s about an inch and is gone by 10:00AM! Last summer we hit 118 degrees and our average low in the winter is 35 degrees. If we would have left the leaky tin roof on, no one would have bothered us for another 25 years. Instead, we decide to improve the property, and get hit with at least a $1500.00 bill for environmental, engineering studies and blueprints! For a goddamn roof on a carport that isn’t even attached to the house! Including fucking _Snow Load_ calculations! I’m appealing the decision. Won’t get me anywhere, I know. But I’m so pissed right now that I could just spit. Ought to just tear down the whole damn thing and park out in the elements. But then I’d probably have to apply for a demolition permit or something - with environmental and engineering studies… Fuck it. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-city-inspector-paid-us-a-visit-today/433719/2 "2008-01-16T06:57:33Z")
I’m not going to argue with ranting about stupid bureaucracy, but hmm. I guess that stuff outside my window is just really really cold rain. And [psst #1.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deserts_by_area) My desert has snow so 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-city-inspector-paid-us-a-visit-today/433719/3 "2008-01-16T08:17:29Z")
[QUOTE=Rico] We’re in the middle of the desert. [/QUOTE] But are you inside city limits ? Personally I would just keep working on the house and tell em to come near the property at their peril , if your dwelling is not inside their limits. Declan ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-city-inspector-paid-us-a-visit-today/433719/4 "2008-01-16T08:28:49Z")
[QUOTE=thelurkinghorror] I’m not going to argue with ranting about stupid bureaucracy, but hmm. I guess that stuff outside my window is just really really cold rain. And [psst #1.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deserts_by_area) My desert has snow so 😛 [/QUOTE] Wow, that’s a good bar bet. I never would have thought of that one. ---
**Author:** ![memmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b77776/32.png) [@memmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/memmy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-city-inspector-paid-us-a-visit-today/433719/5 "2008-01-16T10:41:05Z")
Are you in St. George? ---
**Author:** ![Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-city-inspector-paid-us-a-visit-today/433719/6 "2008-01-16T13:12:29Z")
[QUOTE=Koxinga] Wow, that’s a good bar bet. I never would have thought of that one. [/QUOTE] And yet, ironically, Antarctica receives very little snowfall: > [@wiki](#): > > Antarctica is a frozen desert with little precipitation; the South Pole itself receives less than 10 centimeters (4 in) per year, on average. ---
**Author:** ![Sprockets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/35a633/32.png) [@Sprockets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sprockets)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-city-inspector-paid-us-a-visit-today/433719/7 "2008-01-16T13:17:38Z")
Hey, if you were legally required to get all that documentation then you were. If not, then shoot him when he comes out again. ---
**Author:** ![MonaLizaT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@MonaLizaT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonaLizaT)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-city-inspector-paid-us-a-visit-today/433719/8 "2008-01-16T13:26:19Z")
Around here (Snow? What’s that?), city inspectors can only red tag someone if a complaint has been filed. A pretty stupid policy which keeps them from citing violations they find as they drive around. So did a neighbor or ex turn you in? ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-city-inspector-paid-us-a-visit-today/433719/9 "2008-01-16T16:53:27Z")
Answers to questions: Yes, we’re in St. George - within city limits. A permit is required if you’re fixing the roof of a dwelling. As far as I am aware, and have found in my searches, it’s not required for a carport as long as the carport complies with setback standards. The inspector says otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-city-inspector-paid-us-a-visit-today/433719/10 "2008-01-16T17:20:08Z")
Get him to quote you chapter and verse. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-city-inspector-paid-us-a-visit-today/433719/11 "2008-01-16T17:39:12Z")
**Rico** , If anyone but you told me this story I would call bullshit. Snow load? In the desert? Does every home repair project require an environmental report? Have you pissed off anybody lately? Where I live, it is very unlikely for an inspector to stumble upon a “violation,” unless someone rats somebody out. Most of their time is spent checking on permits. This really sucks. You have my sympathies. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-city-inspector-paid-us-a-visit-today/433719/12 "2008-01-16T17:40:59Z")
[QUOTE=Sprockets] Hey, if you were legally required to get all that documentation then you were. If not, then shoot him when he comes out again. [/QUOTE] Excellent suggestion. A few years ago the president of our homeowner’s association voiced an objection to the color of our front window curtains. After pointing out the absence of any specific prohibitions in the covenant agreement, I shot him in the face with a shotgun and dragged the headless body to the end of our driveway. Never heard another word about it, and our curtains look lovely. ---
**Author:** ![Yag\_Rannavach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/858c86/32.png) [@Yag\_Rannavach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yag_Rannavach)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-city-inspector-paid-us-a-visit-today/433719/13 "2008-01-16T17:49:51Z")
[QUOTE=Vinyl Turnip] Never heard another word about it, and our curtains look lovely. [/QUOTE] Wow, you got lucky. Where I live you need to call animal control to come clean up the body. ---
**Author:** ![raindog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@raindog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raindog)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-city-inspector-paid-us-a-visit-today/433719/14 "2008-01-16T17:56:38Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] Get him to quote you chapter and verse. [/QUOTE] **Bingo.** As a person who lives with inspectors, I can tell you that they are wrong from time to time. (and sometimes more often) **Declan** ’s advice is likely to get you into trouble. If the inspector is _wrong_, your actions can effectively make him look right. (especially if it goes to appeals) If he’s _right_, how much slack do you expect when you ignored his order and continued work? Be cooperative. Continue the dialogue. Be reasonable with him, and hope that he’ll be reasonable with you. Ask him to show you the chapter and verse. Be careful how you do that, because if he perceives you’re calling into question his knowledge and/or competency he will hold the line on you. Let him _educate_ you. [Implicitly] Acknowledge his job and authority and let him know you’re simply improving the property and need to get this done as cost effectively as you can. Ask his advice, and help. You’d be surprised how many can be reasoned with. Take a fighting posture and watch his ego kick in. OTOH, I’ve seen many inspectors empathize and help the homeowner out of a sticky situation. Going to war is a valid option, but it always the _last_ option. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-city-inspector-paid-us-a-visit-today/433719/15 "2008-01-16T18:00:25Z")
[QUOTE=the raindog] \ **Declan** ’s advice is likely to get you into trouble. \ [/QUOTE] So is **Vinyl Turnip’s**! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![raindog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@raindog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raindog)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-city-inspector-paid-us-a-visit-today/433719/16 "2008-01-16T18:01:56Z")
[QUOTE=Santo Rugger] So is **Vinyl Turnip’s**! 😃 [/QUOTE] Not as bad as **Declan** ’s! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tabula\_Rasa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9adbd/32.png) [@Tabula\_Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabula_Rasa)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-city-inspector-paid-us-a-visit-today/433719/17 "2008-01-16T18:16:53Z")
I have heard…and this is just a rumor…that there may be some complicity among officials in that area of southern Utah/northern Arizona to make it difficult for homeowners to fulfill their real or imagined responsibilities, building code-wise and property upkeep-wise, as construction is the major revenue source (besides welfare fraud) of the FLDS in Hildale/Colorado City. None of the people in the St. George building code enforcement team have red-flag, I’m-so-a-Warren-Jeffs-follower surnames, so maybe not. ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-city-inspector-paid-us-a-visit-today/433719/18 "2008-01-16T18:18:45Z")
Here’s your environmental report: Biology…no flora or fauna will be disturbed by this project other than a couple of spiders in the rafters and a possum living in an old tire (who will be carefully relocated prior to construction). Noise…there will be some hammering (and possibly swearing) during construction. Traffic…there will be no net impact to city traffic patterns unless everyone starts driving by my house to see my awesome new carport. Air Quality…the air will be noticeably cooler under the new carport roof. Water Quality…runoff from the roof will be redirected into a bucket for the drinking pleasure of all passersby. Cultural History…while the original carport might be of some historical or architectural interest, its relatively young age (25 years) precludes it from being listed on the National Register of Historical Places. [sub]A bill for my services is in the mail.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-city-inspector-paid-us-a-visit-today/433719/19 "2008-01-16T18:36:55Z")
**Encinitas** , thank you - now where do I send your fee? I went and got a copy of City ordinances. Here’s the relevant section (bolding mine): > [@](#): > > B.Revisions: The following sections are hereby revised: > > Section 8101.1 Insert: City of St. George. > > Table R301.2(1) Insert: Ground Snow Load - 21 lbs. \*\*Roof Snow Load - 15 lbs. \*\*Wind Speed (mph) - 90. Seismic Design Category - soils/engineering. Weathering - moderate. Frost Line Depth - 12 inches. Termite - moderate to heavy. Decay - none/slight. Design Temperature dry bulb 2.5% 102o, wet bulb 2.5% 70o. Flood Hazards - a) August 19, 1987 and b) January 7, 1998. We don’t even get 15 lbs of snow in 10 years! Seriously, folks, WTF? ---
**Author:** ![Sprockets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/35a633/32.png) [@Sprockets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sprockets)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-city-inspector-paid-us-a-visit-today/433719/20 "2008-01-16T18:42:20Z")
[QUOTE=Vinyl Turnip] I shot him in the face with a shotgun and dragged the headless body to the end of our driveway. [/QUOTE] Excellent. That not only dealt with the problem head on, but no doubt the decomposing body also served as an effective warning to other inspectors. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-city-inspector-paid-us-a-visit-today/433719.md?page=2)